The Power at Hand
by SereneDolphin
Summary: Miroku's past catches up with him as a stranger presents him with information on the secret to defeating Naraku. But is this the time to trust, or is Naraku pulling the strings? Hojo is a major character, FYI. IK, MS
1. The Prophecy Fulfilled

Hi everybody! This is my first Inuyasha fanfic, so I'm not sure how this is going to go. But I'm excited at least D. That counts for something.

Anyways, crucial info before we start. How much do I know about Inu? Well, I've only seen English dub episodes, but I've seen many of them throughout the series, plus I've read up to 40 volumes of the manga, so I think that I know enough to write a story. But that doesn't mean that I won't make a mistake. So if I have, please correct me in a review. Kindly, I might add, I have a soft heart, I might cry.

Okay, maybe not, but it will hurt my feelings, so please be nice.

Also, my knowledge of Japanese words is VERY limited, so I go by my rules: don't know it, don't use it. However, the names are true Japanese names, because I did a little quick research. Some will make sense, and I can prove it, but some are just Japanese names that I liked and thought looked cool, so if means something that sounds weird with how I'm using it, then notify me politely. Thanks.

Okay, this is the part I want you readers to read: ATTENTION! Okay, I'm going to warn you about this, since I think some people will question and have problems with it. For the sake of this story (and please remember that this is my first story), you need to take two things for granted.

One, there are still Shikon Jewel shards in Kagome's time (even though I've read enough manga to know that this isn't true). And besides, if they hadn't known the location of all the jewel shards, this could be possible (remember the Noh mask? Yeah.)

Two, that since Hojo got a Shikon jewel shard, he can now travel between times, even though he doesn't have a reincarnation (although maybe he does, if you've seen the second movie LOL.) I know I'm really breaking the rules here, but you know, with so many stories, it's hard to come up with an original idea. Heck, for all I know, this isn't an original idea, but it is as far as to my knowledge goes.

Sorry about being so serious here, but it was necessary. I won't be like this every chapter.

DISCLAIMOR: Speaking of serious matters, I suppose I should mention that I don't own Inuyasha, especially since if I didn't, somebody could sue me, and I really don't want to go to court. (You really don't want to sue me, do you Ms. Takahashi? Or is it Mrs.? Once again, showing my ignorance)

So I guess you want to read the chapter?

**Chapter One: A Prophecy Fulfilled**

The room was small and musty, but the teen kept looking through the piles, searching for an unknown artifact. Sweat dripped down his brow, as he searched continuously, stopping only to wipe his head with his hand. His other hand held a flashlight, which was beaming furiously into the shelves in front of him. The pan of light stopped on a small stature. "There you are.' The boy smiled, picked it up, and exited.

"Okay, sir, I happened to have one of the Todaiji statues you were looking for. It's well known for protecting a home or dwelling from spirits." The elderly man smiled, and paid for it. The teen watched him pick up his prized possession, and hobbled out of the small shop.

"Got rid of another one, son? Excellent, Hojo." Hojo Yamamoto watched as his father, Ichiro Yamamoto, strolled into the shop. "All of these artifacts just got to go. Maybe I should just donate them to a museum."

"Nah, Father, you'd be doing the community a disservice. Even though the artifacts are hoaxes, at least they feel protected," Hojo replied with a small smirk.

"Yes, now if only the community could put that much faith in the medical field. . ." Ichiro was a doctor, and well known in that small city of Kamakura.

Hojo watched his father leave, and got prepared to close shop. Unlike most kids, he was glad that his parents were divorced. Well, actually, he was the only person that he knew that had divorced parents. It was frowned upon, but his parents were happier. Plus, he got the benefit of two lives. His mother lived in the middle of Tokyo. Hojo loved the exciting city life, loved the attention he got at school for being an excellent soccer player, and loved to see the smiling face of Kagome Higurashi. He would give anything to be her boyfriend, but the poor girl was ill all the time. Not too mention that deep down inside, he knew that she probably didn't like him. Her friends (Ayumi, Eri, and Yuka) always keep mentioning something about a two-timing boyfriend. However, he had to keep trying, even if only to save face.

As exciting as Tokyo is, Hojo also relished in the quiet life in Kamakura with his father. It gave him time to be by himself, and to think. His father ran a small medical building, and even trained internees every now and then. Through his parents he had gained some medical knowledge, some of which he passed on to Kagome to help her with all her illnesses.

Yet, as content as he was, Hojo still wondered if this was all there was to it. He could see himself being bored five years down the road. He didn't want to walk down the same path as his parents, but at the same time, couldn't see any other options.

These thoughts troubled Hojo as he walked out of the store, and got into his father's car which was waiting for him. When they got home, Hojo opted to walk to the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu (or just Hachimangu), the village shrine. It gave him a sense of peace being there, though it was a shrine of war. It was deserted in the early summer evening, the way he liked it best. The best part was behind the shrine. A winding rocky path led from the shrine to a partly damaged well. Though currently dry, it was said to have contained the purest water in all of Japan. A small wooden bucket sat right beside it, almost as if waiting for someone to draw it full of water.

The air had a funny fell to it today. That was the first thing he noticed. The second thing was enough to make him gasp. The bucket, the little wooden bucket sitting patiently by the well-side, was glowing. Glowing.

Hojo was afraid to go near it. He never believed in the supernatural, never had a reason to, but yet here was a wooden bucket, glowing . . . purple? He cautiously peered inside. In the container was one, small tiny fragment, with a light purple hue. Hojo couldn't tell if it was a piece of glass, or part of a jewel. Gathering his wits, he bent over to pick it up.

Moss is a strange thing. It's almost like a plague, covering rocks and trees, spreading their greenness around. It looks like/feels like velvet, but when wet, it can be very slippery. It had just rained a couple of hours ago. Poor Hojo did the unthinkable- just as his fingers grazed the fragment, he slipped, and tumbled head over heels into the well.

A small yell escaped hi lips, but that was all. For instead of falling hundreds of feet to his death, he was floating. There were many tiny glowing dots, and under him was a great light, bright and intense. As soon as he touched that big light, his feet hit solid ground. Actually it was kind of muddy, Hojo noticed with disgust. Luckily for him, vines snaked from bottom to the top, which was a tiny pinprick above him.

"Phew, that was . . . interesting." He pulled himself out, thinking that maybe now was a good time to go home. "I think I had enough adventure for today." He looked around on the ground for that trail of rocks. There wasn't any. His heart leapt to his throat as he looked around for the shrine. It wasn't there. Hojo at that point feverishly called out, hoping to hear a familiar voice. But the sounds of civilization he so desperately wanted to hear never came. Nothing but the whisper of trees blowing in the wind.

Oh, Hojo, your adventure is just beginning.

He began to walk, having enough with the well. He guessed that the well was a transportation device of some sort, something that the Japanese scientists were experimenting on and abandoned. Problem was, it was the most rural he had ever seen Japan be. Nothing but trees as far as the eye could see. There weren't very many animals out, but a twitter of a couple of birds sounded out throughout the forest.

Hojo strolled through the peaceful forest. If it weren't for the situation he was in, he would have enjoyed it. Luck seemed to be on his side when, ahead in a little clearing, stood a man and a boy, both wearing some weird attire.

The boy noticed Hojo first. "Father," he cried. "There is a man approaching us. One that is not of the village."

The man looked up at Hojo. "Hurry now, run and warn the villagers!" he told the boy. The man then turned to Hojo. "Be warned, our village is ready to fight and have been victorious several times. If you came to fight, you will lose grievously."

Taken aback, Hojo replied, almost mumbling, "I don't wish to fight you, I just want to know where I am."

The man looked slightly confused. "From what region are you?"

"Uh, well, I'm from Tokyo, but I was currently in the city of Kamakura." The confusion in the man's face grew stronger. "However, I was up at the shrine, when I fell down this well, and ended up here."

The villager's eyes grew wide. "You are the one who came out of the Hachimangu well?" he demanded.

"Well, that's what we call the shrine, but, yeah, I did."

The man suddenly showed a big, toothy grin. "O wondrous day! Such joy I thought I would not see!"

"Sir, I'd hate to interrupt, but I really need to return home now." The villager apparently did not hear him.

"You must now come with me! The village leader will be most delighted! The mighty one has finally appeared!"

_'Mighty one?'_ thought Hojo, but before he could ponder any more, the villager grabbed a hold of his arm in excitement and steered the teen to the village. It was nestled in a tiny valley between two high ridges of forest. In the village, Hojo could see the men were armed. The boy was quick to warn them. As they approached, one of the men called out, "All right, here comes the enemy!"

The man pulling Hojo stopped and held up his hands. "No, my good men! This is no enemy. He is our warrior god!" All the villagers at this point dropped their weapons. One man then approached Hojo. He was decorated with fine robes, and Hojo took a guess that it was the village leader.

"Are you sure?" the village leader asked the man beside Hojo. He nodded vehemently.

"According to the prophecy, a warrior with strange dress and accent will pop out of the Hachimangu well late in the day in the early summer, and it says that this warrior is a god who will lead our village to victory during this war!"

The village leader nodded as well. "That is the prophecy,' he stated. He then turned to the crowd and declared, "Let us all hail our warrior god!" At that moment, the whole village went upon their knees, and a small chant issued from them.

It was then that Hojo lost it. "I'm not your warrior god, I just want to go home!" he screamed, shocking everyone, including him. Hojo ran. What else could he do? He was well-conditioned, and his instincts told him to run away. He ran through the pretty forest until the familiar well jumped into view. He dove into it, not caring what happened as long as the villagers were left far behind, as well as not noticing the many pairs of eyes watching the whole ordeal. The shining dots were around him once more, as well as the muddy ground. Hojo paused in his journey home just to make sure he was in the right area, and noted the wooden bucket and rock trail. He sprinted again, dodging passersby on the way to his sanctuary, his father's house.

'Good evening son. Have a nice walk?" Ichiro then noticed Hojo's heaving chest. "Or maybe I should say jog."

"It, (pant), was, (pant), interesting," Hojo replied, completely out of breath. He headed to his father's study, a question springing to his mind. He went through one of his father's many history books, and stopped at one picture.

"This is Kamakura during 1400-1600," he read in one of the captions. "I just traveled to the feudal era." _'So that's why everyone thought I was a god.'_ Hojo headed up to bed, contemplating his little journey. He now felt ashamed at freaking out. He looked at the tiny jewel shard, still glowing purple in his hand. It had been with him the whole time. "It's you fault, isn't it?" he realized. Hojo found an empty jar on his desk, and put the tiny piece in it, closed the lid, and shut it inside the drawer. Hojo undressed, and climbed into the cool covers.

"It may not be anytime soon, but who know? I might go back."

**aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa**

End of chapter one, which is good, because I don't like this chapter very much. I'm kind of afraid to post it, because I think that you guys are going to be bored out of your mind, but I had to post it. The next chapter will be a bit better, with more characters, but we won't see Kagome and co. until Chapter four. I hope you guys don't mind too much. (Dodges popcorn, tomatoes, random stuff)

I try to keep the characters in character, but if you see any OOCness going on, please let me know, and I'll try to adjust. Also, I kind of made up some of Hojo's life here, including his last name, so if you know anything about Hojo, like his past or family life, let me know. I like being factually right. Sorry about the a's, FFN's being mean, and won't let me put in a cute little line or something like that.

I hope you enjoy, til next time

SereneDolphin


	2. Enter Mikayo

Guess who's back? This authoress is disgruntled. One review. One. Was that chapter really boring? I know people are reading it; I got a lot of hits. I've decided that I'm going to give responses to my reviewers, which is quite an easy task seeing that I have one reviewer.

**Cheriberigurl**: Well, I thought so too, so if I thought it was boring, I shouldn't be so surprised that you thought it was boring. Thanx for the compliment though! That made me want to do this chapter, and I got it out quicker. As for the reviewers, well, just wait until you have a story on your own up here, and then see that it gets no reviews. You would be very sad. (.

Anyway, this chapter's so NOT boring, I had fun writing it, and I expect to get some responses out of it.

DISCLAIMOR: Don't own Inuyasha, but I do own Mikayo, who is the first OC that I've ever put in a story, so this should be interesting.

**Chapter 2: Enter Mikayo**

_3 months later_

"Inuyasha, how many times do I have to tell you? You can't walk me to school, and that's final!"

"Kagome, I'm not letting you go out there while it's not safe!"

"What do you mean, not safe? It's perfectly safe, and I'm perfectly capable of walking to school by myself!"

"Well, that guy last night seemed pretty suspicious to me!"

"What guy?"

"That one guy!"

Mrs. Higurashi let out a soft chuckle as she continued to listen to her daughter and her friend Inuyasha bicker. The sun was shining on the early September morning, a tiny whisper of fall in the air, but still hot and a tad humid. Inuyasha and Kagome had come back last night from the feudal era to get supplies. Inuyasha was going to go back after their errand, but for some reason he felt compelled to stay overnight in the god tree, the Goshinboku. Mrs. Higurashi guessed she was about to find out why.

"Oh, Inuyasha, you don't mean him!"

"Yes, him! The way he kept asking all those strange questions and the way he slapped that stick in his hand-"

"They're called policemen, Inuyasha, that's what they're supposed to do!"

"I still don't think it's safe."

Kagome sighed, knowing this argument was going nowhere. It wasn't that she didn't want him with her, but she was tired of explaining his weird red baseball cap, his fire-rat coat, and, most noticeably, his long, pure silver hair and shining amber eyes. And what if the cap flew off in the wind? Kagome had yet to find an excuse for those ears of his, furry and doggy-like, sitting on his head. They, along with the fangs and claws, showed his true nature- half-demon, or hanyou, whichever you prefer. Either way, to her, all demons, full or not, had the biggest streak of stubbornness that she had ever seen. Because of that, Kagome dearly wished to use the rosary's power. "Okay mother, I'm leaving!" Kagome called out, and grabbed her bike.

"Take care now," Mrs. Higurashi responded.

Inuyasha watched Kagome walk down toward the street, and started to follow. He noticed that she wasn't paying attention, so he made one giant leap to catch up to her. She still didn't do anything, maybe because there wasn't anybody around. He relaxed; for once, Kagome-

"SIT!"

It just so happened that they walked onto the sidewalk, and so Inuyasha did a face plant into solid concrete. It was, needless to say, very painful.

'_Damn you wench,' _he thought as he heard Kagome ride away as fast as she could. _'All right, if that's the way you want it, I won't come. Not even if you call.'_ He picked himself up and shook off the little pieces of gravel stuck in his hair. Nothing to do but go back to the feudal era now.

"Inuyasha?" Mrs. Higurashi called. She was standing in the doorway. "Could you bring this to Kagome; she forgot her lunch again."

"I'm on it." Inuyasha snatched it up, and bounded down the drive to the school. Hopefully he'll catch her before she entered the big brick building.

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Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi were waiting for Kagome at their usual corner. She hopped off her bike, and listened to them gossip about the boys at her school, not really paying attention. Just as they reached the subject of Hojo, he appeared not to far ahead of them. "Look!" Eri pointed excitedly.

_'Please no!'_ Kagome thought to herself, but too late- Hojo saw them, and biked his way over.

"Hi Kagome!" Hojo said enthusiastically.

"Oh, uh, hello, Hojo," she replied, not as enthusiastic. She felt one of her friends nudge her in the ribs. Her mind wandered to what kind of illness her grandpa came up with.

"So, how did the testing go?"

"Testing?"

"Yeah, I called, and your grandfather regrettably told me you were in the hospital testing for lymphatic leukemia."

"Oh yeah, uh, Hojo, the results were. . They were fine, came back negative."

Hojo let out a small sigh. "Good, I was really worried about you." This statement caused both of the teens to blush. 'Uh, these are for you. It's a crème that my father made. It will get rid of the red rash and keep your lymph nodes in check."

Kagome accepted the gift, as usual. "Thanks, Hojo," she said brightly, trying to sound like she meant it.

Hojo rubbed the back of his head. "And, uh, I was wondering if you would like to catch a movie, you know, if you feel up to it." He was now blushing bright red. "This Friday."

Poor Kagome, she knew this would happen, and she left the house with no good reason to decline. Her friends, watching her falter, decided to answer for her. "Of course she-"

"Won't." Standing behind Kagome and her friends stood a VERY irate Inuyasha, decked out with baseball cap and all, holding one, slightly crumpled, brown paper bag a.k.a. Kagome's lunch. "She's not going with you."

A very pregnant pause ensued, while everyone, including Kagome, stared at him. The silence was broken when Ayumi shyly spoke up. "Uh, Kagome? Is that . . . is he your two-timing boyfriend?"

Inuyasha turned sharply to her. "What do you mean, two-timing?" he growled. Kagome was afraid to acknowledge anything, but out of instinct, she found herself nodding slowly, a very tiny movement. A movement that caught Hojo's eye and comprehension dawned on him. He looked fearfully at Inuyasha, who didn't see Kagome nod, and still looked ready to kill somebody. "I'm sorry, Kagome, I didn't realize you were taken. I, uh, got to go." With that he turned quickly, and hurried toward the school. Inuyasha was caught off guard; he never seen his opponents back down so swiftly before.

Somehow, Kagome found her voice. "Hojo, he's not," she began, but Hojo held up his hand and cut her off.

"No, Kagome, I don't want you to be two-timing your guy." With that, he practically fled on his bike, his brown hair ruffling in the wind.

She turned around slowly, praying that Inuyasha was taking this well, and would not do something, well, embarrassing. Inuyasha, for his part, avoided her eyes as well. He handed the bag to Kagome, muttered, "Here. You forgot your lunch," and walked away quickly in a very un-Inuyasha like manner.

"Kagome? You mind filling us in here?" Kagome snapped out of her shock mode, and faced her friends.

"Well, that was very weird, and I'm glad it's over, end of story." While saying this, Kagome made a mental note to have a good talk with Inuyasha when she got back to the feudal era.

Ayumi looked at her curiously. "You mean, you're not upset that you just lost Hojo?"

Kagome shook her head. "I never had him in the first place. Listen guys, can we please just get to school?"

"Yeah." Yuka agreed. "Especially since we have that biology quiz this morning."

"Biology quiz? What biology quiz!" Poor Kagome.

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_'I'm such a fool.'_ This line kept running through Hojo's head on the way back to Kamakura. Though the incident happened three days ago, Hojo still felt like a fool. All the time Kagome flaked out on him, or left him in the middle of the date . . . he now saw the truth. _'I've been aced out by a silver-headed, red-coated . . . somebody. I'm so upset, I can't even insult people!'_

The taxi cab left him on his father's front steps. He went to Kamakura every weekend now, being it was only one hour south of Tokyo. It cut out some time with friends, but until soccer season started, he allowed himself these two days of peace, because he really needed them. He came for that reason and for one other- the feudal era.

Hojo had decided to come back after that fateful day three months ago. The villagers had finally accepted that he was not a god, and Hojo found out that he liked the serenity found in an unmodern world. It was so . . . tranquil, really. He came to help the villagers now, especially since harvesting time was coming shortly. He would help them make weapons, but refused t join their army, thinking it too violent for his tastes. Sometimes he'd even go so far as to baby-sit their children. His favorite part was when he hung out with the village priestess, and she would tell him of the many legends and myths. To be truthful, he was shocked to hear that demons were real, and was enthralled when the priestess defeated a youkai attacking the village. The priestess told him that he should not have to worry about the youkai, for there were only low-level ones lurking near the village, and Hojo had a sword given to him by the village leader that would protect him in the face of danger.

Come to think of it, Hojo could see something demonic about that boyfriend of Kagome's. Maybe it was the eyes. . .

Ichiro watched his son grab a few items, and then leave without a word. Hojo worked up the nerve to tell his father what he was doing a couple of months ago, and somehow Mr. Yamamoto believed him. He felt his son was in no danger, and as long as he helped out in the shop once in a while, then the boy could do whatever he wanted.

Hojo hurried toward the Hachimangu, anxious to be alone, and jumped down the well. After a very floaty journey, he climbed out of the well, and took one step towards the village. He stopped though, and stepped up to a tree. "Oh, why, tree, why did Kagome choose him, and why did she make a fool out of me?" Hojo yelled, hitting his head against the thick trunk. (A/N: I know that Hojo in the show or manga would never do this, but drama was being called for P)

"From where I come from, talking to trees was a sign of insanity. Maybe that answers your question." Hojo looked up to see a woman of medium height and skinny build. Her black hair was pulled together by a ponytail at the nape of her neck. Blue eyes shined over a dusting of freckles. He blushed brightly, noting the smirk at his queer behavior. Her garments, which consisted of purple robes, suggested that perhaps she was a monk. In her hand was a golden staff.

"Are you a monk?" A lame question, but it was the only response Hojo could muster.

"As a matter of fact, yes, I am. A traveling monk, I suppose."

"I have never seen a female monk."

"Yes, we are quite rare." She chuckled a bit, her eyes dancing. "But no matter. You are troubled. . ." She paused.

"Hojo." He gave his name without thinking.

"Hojo? Yes, I was wondering. Did you really just come out of the Hachimangu well?"

"Yes, I did." Hojo briefly thought of the villagers. "You don't know the prophecy, do you? Because I'm not a god."

The female monk laughed again. "I'm well-learned in the folklore, but I doubted you were a god. But it leaves me to question your true where-abouts, for I don't think you originated here." That was when Hojo spilled everything. He did not know why (was it her warm voice, or the fact that she seemed so much more intelligent than he?), but he told her about the future, how he traveled through five hundred years, and so on and so forth. He noticed though, that when he mentioned Kagome and her amber-eyed friend, that she leaned forward in attention and let every word sink in. She was a very good listener, and waited until the end to ask questions. She had but one.

"Do you still love Kagome?"

Hojo looked down at his feet. "I guess so. She's still on my mind a lot, but if she doesn't like me, then there's nothing I can do."

The female monk paused. "What if you could take Mr. Silver-Hair out of the picture?" Hojo looked at her strangely.

"You sound as if you know him."

The girl shrugged. "I happen to know his name's Inuyasha, that's all. Do you want him out of Kagome's life?" The smallest trace of coldness in her voice lingered in the air.

Hojo slowly nodded. "I feel heartless saying so, but it would be better if it was so. He cheats on Kagome, according to her friends, and he may be the reason why she gets upset so easily." As he said this, he felt small stirrings of anger in his stomach, and came to realize that he hated Inuyasha.

The female monk sighed. After this, there was no turning back. "Do you want to get rid of him?"

Anger was churning in his stomach. "I think I do."

"Then follow me." The woman abruptly stood up, and started walking quickly away to the north. Hojo stood up, but before moving, voiced a final question he had.

"Who are you and what are we doing now?"

The woman smiled. "I'm Mikayo, the monk, and we're following her." Mikayo pointed sky-wards, where Hojo could see a woman on a leaf, floating through the air at the same pace as a fast jog. Her red eyes were gazing ahead sharply, and in one hand was one intricate, solitary fan.

**bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb**

End of chapter two. Yay! I feel like this chapter was better, don't you agree. One comment, I know that Hojo normally wouldn't want to get rid of anybody, but for the purpose of this story, I had to make him a little OOC. Hopefully you don't mind, but that's not going to change.

Now for thanks:

THANX to cheriberigurl for reviewing and being my first reviewer, and to la89801 for putting this story on her favorites list, though she didn't review, so I'm assuming that you like it, La.

Chapter three will be coming whenever I get inspired to write it, and it will be the last Hojo dominate chapter, at least, I think it is the last.

Till next time,

SereneDolphin


	3. Mikayo's Plan

Hey y'all. Forgive me; I've just come back from Country/Western night at Sigma Alpha at me college, so I'm in a country mood. Also forgive me for taking a week to get this out. I've lately just got a horrible addiction to Inuyasha music videos, and have downloaded . . . oh . . . so . . . many. Good times, good times.

Here's the response to the reviews:

**Midnight Secret:** Hi Tara, glad to hear from you. I know what I said about Kagome and Co., but I changed my plans. That scene with Hojo was important; I had to add it in. The rest of the gang won't show up until chapter four. Inu is in this chapter, though.

**Cheriberigurl:** Read above. And thanx!

**Melinda-chan:** Just a note, I like the name Melinda. Hojo's parents might own a shop, I don't remember it ever saying that, but it could be true. Since I didn't know, I figured that they being doctors would make sense. Maybe they own a medicine shop, because it's still kind of weird that Hojo knows all those remedies. . .Thanx for the help on the Japanese, I'm really sketchy when it comes to that. I might ask you again here in this chapter, I think I might have made a mistake.

That goes for everybody. Notice a mistake, notify me, and I will correct it.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Inuyasha. I would like some plushies, though. I do own Mikayo, but if you ask nicely. . .

**Chapter 3: Mikayo's Plan**

Inuyasha stomped into the Higurashi shrine, and would've slammed the door, but caught himself just in time. Mrs. Higurashi watched him, noting that, though his face was emotionless, his ears were slightly drooping. "Did you have any trouble, Inuyasha?" she asked.

Inuyasha's ears perked up immediately. "Of course not!"

"Run into Hojo, did you?" This remark scared Inuyasha quite a bit, but far be it from him to show it. _'How does Kagome's mother know everything, all the time?'_

"Yeah, so?" Though Inuyasha tried to sound nonchalant, Mrs. Higurashi could hear a tint of jealousy and hurt in his reply. That was all she needed to hear.

"Oh, don't worry about it. Kagome will be back in a few days, five tops." She went back to her knitting. Inuyasha grunted, and was thankful that she was letting him leave. He needed to go sit in a tree and think.

He strolled over to the well, wondering if he would yell at Kagome or just ignore her when she got back; both seemed so tempting. It was almost as tempting as using Kongousouha on that brown-haired pretty boy. Inuyasha smirked at the thought as he prepared to jump. . .

"No! Don't go!" A small voice rang out, stopping Inuyasha dead in his tracks. He spun around to see Souta, Kagome's 10-year-old brother. (A/N: I think he was nine in the series, but I figured he had a birthday in there somewhere.) He held back a groan; somehow whenever Souta is involved, it led to awkward moments, such as running into Kagome's bedroom naked and giving love advice.

"What do you want, kid?"

Souta looked at him with shiny eyes. "Can you help me with something?"

"Out with it."

"Well, it's about Hitomi-chan. . ."

"Isn't she that girl you like?"

"Yeah." Little Souta was shaking now. "Please, Inu-niisan, you got to help me!"

"Listen, kid, I don't know anything about getting out of relationships." _'Seeing as how I've never been in one,'_ he added silently to himself.

Souta shook his head. "No, I don't want to end it with Hitomi. It's just . . . She can't leave me alone!"

"Isn't the point to be with each other?"

"Yeah, but she goes wherever I go, switches classrooms to be with me, and I'm starting to get sick of her. It's like too much of a good thing."

Inuyasha scratched his white, fuzzy ears. "Why don't you just tell her how you feel? Tell her that she's bothering you, and to give you time to yourself. How else will she know that she's a pain?"

"Really, Inu-niisan? That's all I have to do?"

"It's what I would do."

"Thanks a lot!" Souta got up. "Kick some demon butt on the other side!"

"Sure will, kid." Impatient to leave, Inuyasha chose that moment to jump in the well, leaving a very happy Souta behind. As he traveled, his thoughts strayed to Kagome. _'Maybe. . .'_ he thought, but stopped thinking, for all these relationship troubles were giving him a headache.

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Hojo's eyes kept straying to the lady on the leaf, thankful that she was moving at a fast walk's pace. He was very curious, though, and he voiced his thoughts out loud. "Uh, Mikayo? Don't you think it's strange that she hasn't noticed us at all?"

Mikayo glance upward. "She does know of our presence."

"How can you tell? She hasn't looked downward or anything!"

"They are expecting us."

_'Somebody's expecting me?'_ wondered Hojo. Mikayo, as if reading his thoughts, looked at him and smiled.

"Actually, I am the only visitor they are expecting, but you will be a pleasant surprise."

"Oh," was the intelligent reply that Hojo created. "Do you know that woman up there?"

"Vaguely. Her name is Kagura. Stay sharp; we're almost at our destination." Sure enough, Kagura sped up a little, and touched down at the entrance of a nearby cave. Hojo was ready to rush forward, eager he was, but Mikayo grabbed hold of his wrist. "Wait, Hojo! There's something I must warn you about." Hojo stopped and gave her his undivided attention. 'We are about to see somebody who is very powerful, and who's not afraid to kill. You must be cautious. No lies, and please don't do anything that might offend him."

"Okay." Hojo trembled a bit. He wondered if this was someone that they should have contact with at all.

Mikayo sighed. "He's not my personal favorite, but he's the only one that stands a chance at killing Inuyasha. With our help, of course, it will happen." Hojo gave her a nod, and they made their way toward the cavern.

When they reached the entrance, Hojo got a closer look at Kagura. He saw the pointed ears and gasped. "You . . . You're . . . You're a demon!" he sputtered.

Kagura gave him a cold, calculating look. "Nice observation- how many humans have you seen flying around on leaves?" Her voice, low and deep, was dripping with sarcasm.

Hojo turned to Mikayo. "You didn't tell me we were working with demons!" The poor guy was thrown off by Kagura, for he had never seen a humanoid demon before. Kagura's eyes narrowed.

"Why not? Demons are the perfect assassins, seeing it's in their blood." Mikayo smiled weakly. "You need to stay here. I cannot stress to you the danger of upsetting the demon we are accomplicing with- Kagura could tell you. You will know when you should com in." With that, Mikayo set off into the cave, leaving a slightly worried Hojo behind with the demon Kagura.

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The cave was unusual; it was cold, for one thing. It was in the air, a chill that went straight for your bones, all warmth exiting you like a fire going out. A creek used to be in the bottom, but it has dried up mysteriously, forcing many cave creatures to move, or some simply died. Funny enough, though the cave's main water supply was gone, the walls continued to be slimy; a glistening gray from the few patches of light. _'All in all,'_ thought Mikayo, _'one of the top ten most gruesome places I've ever seen. I hope he doesn't hide out here again.'_

The slim passageway of the cavern veered right, and opened up into quite a large room, with a large boulder serving s a floor. At the other end stood a man, or at least something at human height. A thick, white baboon pelt with a blue head covered the entity's body efficiently, hiding any identity. Mikayo, however, knew who it was, or, perhaps more appropriately, what it was.

"I wish to speak with you, Naraku," she called out boldly. Naraku turned his gaze on her, but with the thick baboon pelt, it was impossible to tell where his focus was.

"Yes. Mikayo the monk. You wish to destroy Inuyasha."

"I'm glad you know my intentions."

"I ask why."

Tension sprang into Mikayo's shoulders. He was fingering for information; it was foolish of her to think that she'd win his trust so easily. Still, it could be done. She summoned up all the hatred in her being so that it echoed out with her voice.

"I came from the village of Tanashi, which is northwest of here, and a little bit east from where Inuyasha grew up. I come from a long line of monks, but none of them was as skilled as my father was. He saved the village from countless number of demons. They were ready to call him the leader of our village, but disaster struck." Mikayo at this point let a slight amount of sadness creep into her voice. "For reasons of his own, Inuyasha attacked the village. He managed to destroy half our town in a blink of an eye. I think there was another demon with him, but that demon left shortly after. My father came rushing; he was out healing others in a nearby village. Inuyasha requested a one-on-one with him, and my father thought he could handle him. To this day, I. . ." Mikayo's voice cracked. "I don't understand how a half-demon such as Inuyasha killed my father. The whole village collapsed, and our townsmen picked off and eaten by a swarm of demons which followed him. This happened in my fifth year of life. I was fatherless, and homeless. We lost everything." She succumbed to her tears; shimmering, wet splashes dotted the cave floor.

"Mmmm, so it would seem. But why come to me when demons are the cause of your tragic village's demise?"

"Normally such action would disgrace my family and the village. However, I have no family, I have no village. All that is left is a burning desire for revenge. Who better to come to than the demon who seeks for Inuyasha's death? It is no secret you are after him."

"True, but I, Naraku, have yet to see the reason you've come before me, monk."

"I have a plan." Naraku kept silent, so she decided that meant to proceed. "I will appear before Inuyasha's group. I believe that one of their number is a monk named Miroku." Naraku gave a hint of a smirk at the remembrance of the curse he put on that particular line of monks. "I can appear as a fellow monk, who is seeking revenge for you. Come up with a secret solution to your defeat. Have them go on a wild goose chase. And, at the location where they end up at, we shall spring a trap, leading to Inuyasha's death. That is the gist of it."

"Crude, yet it holds promise. This Naraku will devise a trap when one worthy comes along, perhaps."

"I might have such a thing you were looking for. You are still looking for Shikon Jewel shards?"

"Aye, but the ones that are left will be elusive. Down in the depths of hell, or years into the future." At the mention of the future, Mikayo smiled.

"They may not be so elusive. Kagome is not the only one with her unique talent of seeing the shards; she is not the only time-traveler."

"I, Naraku, request that you bring this time-traveler to me."

"He's standing outside right now. Shall I fetch him?"

"Kanna will do it."

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Hojo was getting very, very bored. At first, it was intimidating to be in the presence of a demoness who could kill you with one swipe (he figured she was that powerful), but as she left him alone, his nerves faded away. He checked his watch and noticed that it has been almost an hour. He had taken a seat on the rocky entrance, which left him with nothing but a sore behind. Kagura looked like she was having as much fun as he was.

Suddenly, Kagura's attention was diverted towards the cave. Hojo looked over, and almost screamed at what he saw. A white, glowing child appeared. White hair, white flowers, white dress, and her skin was so pale that you might as well call it white as well. Hojo decided that her freakiest feature were here eyes. They were hollow, unseeing orbs, transparent, and void of all feeling. It made Hojo shiver. She was holding a mirror, which was the part that Kagura focused on.

"Humph. Do you think Naraku knows how much I hate tailing those idiots?" she muttered, and promptly took off on her leaf. Before Hojo had time to wonder, Kanna turned towards him. As if beckoning him, she turned her back on him and walked back inside the cavern. Taking a deep breath, Hojo followed her.

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I know I said that this would be the last Hojo dominant chapter, but he will play an important part in the next chapter as well. As for the part with Souta, that was a filler if anything. Just for your entertainment so that this chapter can be a proper length, nothing major with the plot. I have many ideas, and this story is coming along.

**Thank you to:** Midnight Secret, Melinda-chan, and cheriberigurl for reviewing.

R&R,

SereneDolphin


	4. An Interruption from the Past

Hey, it's here! Woot! You should be impressed, all of you that are reading this. I thought for sure that I wouldn't be updating this weekend, but what is this? An update? Somehow, SereneDolphin made the time to get this out to her lovely readers, just because she cares so much about all y'all.

Too much sarcasm. I think it's left over from the disappointment of not getting into Sigma Alpha, it was a big downer.

As usual, notes for the reviewers:

**Fiona McKinnon:** Thanx, I'm glad you like it! And, I hope I don't sound stupid, but, what does PAMS stand for? I'm not very good at acronyms.

**Melinda-chan:** I'm not sure on Souta's age either, but it's close enough. I really enjoyed reading your review, it cheered me up greatly! About Mikayo, though. I wasn't surprised when you said that there were no female monks in Japan. I figured that it would be that way. Mikayo, though, as you will see at the end of this chapter, is a special case. Also, when she said that there were very few female monks back in Chapter two, she was being sarcastic by saying there were few, when really she was the only one she knew of, and hence the slight giggle. I know it's kind of twisting reality a bit here, but I like the plot too much to fix it now. Mikayo is one-of-a-kind.

**DISCLAIMER:** Don't own Inuyasha. Don't plan to. The closest I'll ever get is an Inuyasha plushie, and even that seems impossible at this point, what with monetary situations being as they are at the moment. . .

Warning: This chapter contains some very disturbing and gruesome content. If you get disturbed really easily, to the point it will make you sick, then I advise that you don't read it. Seriously, when I read it over, I started crying, and I'm the darn authoress! Anyway, enjoy.

**Chapter 4: An Interruption from the Past**

The early autumn wind rustled through the trees, tickling the little boy's nose. He gave a tiny shiver, and bounded to the forest near his home. This was his playground, and it was time to play.

He picked up a stick. "Come out, demons! It's time for you to go away now!" He swung forcefully at a nearby tree, causing pieces of bark to rain on his black hair. "Hah, I got you! Nobody can escape me!" He shook his tiny head, causing the little black ponytail tat the nape of his neck to whip back and forth. In his three years of life, fighting demons became a regular event. Though he never did fight, he went with his father to a countless number of villages, and watched his father slay many demons using his powers. He dragged his stick along, going form tree to tree, ridding the forest of demons. On one tree he paused.

"You are a very strong demon. I will have to use the enchanted ofuda." He dug around a fold in his purple robes and produced a small piece of paper. "Chant, chant, chant, ha!" The boy slammed the paper into the tree, proceeding to squish a poor, unfortunate insect. "I'm going to be a great monk. I'm going to save lots of people. I'm going to be just like my papa." He sang this to himself as he skipped through the forest, now rid of all the "demons."

The little boy then heard a loud commotion. He thought it came from the village. _'Are they having a festival?'_ he wondered. The boy ran all the way back, his feet making little pit-pats on the ground beneath him. Worried that he was missing out on some fun, he ran all the way without stopping. Right out on the outskirts, a small gasp escaped his lips.

The whole village (at least the men) was out, fighting three dozen rat and wolf youkai. Many lie on the streets, dead, and a small river of blood was flowing quietly, permanently staining the ground a dark red. Though frightened by the scene, he skirted forward, dodging bodies and fights alike. "Mama! Papa!" he cried, not noticing he attracted the attention of a particularly large rat youkai, who thought the boy a tasty snack.

It took him three seconds to realize that a rat demon was in front, ready to pounce at any moment. He took a few steps back in fear, tripped over a severed arm, and fell flat on his bottom in a pool of blood. The demon leaped. "Waaaaaaaahhhhh!" The boy shrieked.

"Noooo!" A dark figure appeared from no where and smashed into the youkai's left side. The little boy looked dup, and saw his mother, kneeling, injured from her attack on the rat.

"Mama!" he called out to her.

The rat demon howled in rage, a call that sent shivers down the humans' spines. Then, a strange phenomenon occurred. All the youkai, dead or alive, flew through the air and attached themselves onto the rat youkai. Some pieces were devoured, thus creating the largest demon the village has ever seen. When it roared, the little boy had to cover his ears, though he grimaced when he noticed that his hands were covered with the red liquid. He stared in horror as the mutated youkai advanced toward his latest attacker- his mother. "Mama!"

She turned to him with a tear-streaked face. "Son," she whispered, but he could hear her. "Son, use your right hand."

At these words, the boy grew a frightened look on his face, more prominent than ever. The youkai edged ever closer. His mother tried to get up, but her legs failed her, and she crumpled in a heap.

The little boy gulped, and held out his right hand. He unraveled the sacred beads that held the immense power in check, and unwrapped the handkerchief from his hand. Instantaneously, a powerful, sucking wind blew within the area, knocking the demon off balance a bit. However, as soon as the slightest bit of debris was sucked into the black hole in his hand, he screamed in pain, covering up his limb as fast as possible. The mutant demon, noticing that the disturbance was gone, licked his chops and continued advancing toward the woman.

She called out to her son. "Miroku, please. . ."

"I can't Mama!"

"Miroku!"

"No, it hurts too much, I can't do it Mama!" Tears streamed down his grubby cheeks from physical and emotional pain.

"Miroku, help me!"

"Somebody help my mama!" The youkai had now reached her.

"Miroku!" She gave out one last desperate cry.

"MAMA!" All he saw was red.

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"Miroku." She looked down with worry at the troubled face.

"Mammam. . .ma," came the mumbled reply.

"Get up, Miroku." Sango nudged him on his side.

"Aaaah, ha, huh- wah?" Miroku bolted right up, expecting the worst. He blinked. An early-day sun was poking through the deciduous trees, and a worried Sango and Shippou were kneeling next to him.

"Man, that had to be some kind of weird nightmare," Shippou stated bluntly.

"Are you all right, Houshi-sama?"

Miroku nodded and sighed. He was still breathing quite heavily, and he quickly tried to calm down to convince them he was okay. "I am fine, my dear Sango." She gave him a quizzical look, but decided not to press the issue.

"Then I guess we better get breakfast started." Sango moved to go get some firewood, faithful Kirara going with her. Miroku then turned to Shippou.

"Why hasn't Inuyasha shown up yet?"

"I dunno, he's probably just with Kagome." Shippou looked behind Miroku to see Inuyasha stomping towards the clearing. "Hey, here he comes. . ."

Miroku moved to greet his friend. "Inuyasha, glad to see you're back. How was your trip with Kago. . .me?" His voice faltered as Inuyasha ignored him and stomped right past him back into the forest.

". . . and there he goes." Shippou stated the obvious.

"He'll never learn, will he?"

"Well, they say that you can't teach an old dog new tricks, and Inuyasha's more than two hundred years."

"He is a demon, though, so that has to be taken into account."

Shippou shrugged. "Older than me."

Sango had now returned, and was now bent over, her m9ind busy on making the campfire. Miroku grinned at the wonderful opportunity that he was blessed with. Shippou and Kirara flinched after a particularly nasty slap. "Speaking of never learning. . ." Shippou muttered to himself, Kirara in her smaller form mewed her agreement.

After all this excitement, the nightmare was temporarily forgotten- or so it would seem. It did not escape the notice of Sango, who noticed that, though he did all his normal Miroku things, there was a look of deep sadness flickering in his eyes, and he was more quiet than usual. It disturbed her, for she was sure that Miroku was calling for his mother, and that made her wonder why Miroku was so distressed. Finally, Sango stored it in her memory, deciding she would bring it up with Miroku later.

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Hojo wondered how he brought this upon himself. In all his seventeen years, he never would have imagined walking along a cold, grimy cave in the feudal era following the eeriest child he had ever seen to go visit a demon who was apparently an able killer. He shuddered at the images that he produced, wondering who this demon really was. When they finally reached the area of the cavern, Hojo's jaw almost dropped in shock.

Giving the circumstances, Hojo figured he would cower in fear, or be in awe of his great power, or just be plain terrified. What he did not expect was to see the most ridiculous thing he had ever seen- a man in a white baboon pelt with a blue snout. It took all his will-power not to bust out laughing.

Mikayo, in a corner, sensed the ridicule forming in Hojo's mind, and sent him silent warnings. _'Please, Hojo, understand, looks are more deceiving in our world than in yours.'_ He held it in, and became more somber, causing Mikayo to sigh in relief.

A low, hoarse voice issued from Naraku. "Who are you?" he questioned.

_'Forget the fact that he's a murderer and talk all ready!'_ Hojo scolded himself. "Uh, I'm Hojo." He tensed, fearing that anything he spoke could be taken as an insult.

"Why do you seek me?"

Hojo relaxed in the tiniest way, having the feeling that if he answered this youkai's questions honestly, then he would walk out of the cave alive. "Well, from what Mikayo told me, you're the only one who stands a chance at destroying Inuyasha."

"Why do you wish to destroy the hanyou?"

Hojo was slightly surprised to learn that Inuyasha was a half-demon, but then blushed, knowing what information he would have to reveal at this point. "Well, it's because a girl, Kagome, likes him, and. . ."

"You are infatuated with Kagome?"

He blushed an even deeper shade of red. "Yeah, and well, he doesn't treat her right. So I want him out of Kagome's life in any way possible."

"I see," Naraku hissed. Things were going well. "Is what this woman says true, that you are indeed from the future?"

"That's right. I believe it's 1996 A.D. in my time, and I don't know what year it is here, but I'm sure it's quite a few centuries, about five hundred year's difference." Underneath the baboon pelt, Naraku's eyebrows raised. With that, the answer came to him, and his eyes were greedily gleaming.

"How is it that you travel through time?" Naraku knew the answer, but he had to see it with his own eyes.

Hojo shifted his feet. "I'm not exactly sure, but I know I have to carry this." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his jewel shard. "I don't know what it is, but I found it near the Hachimangu well, and I guess it enables me to come here."

"It is part of a jewel called the Shikon no Tama, which was shattered a while ago." Naraku paused, taking time to formulate his ideas. "I, Naraku, have a plan. The jewel shards may be used to accomplish the task, but I do not currently have enough. This Naraku is powerful, but cannot access the future."

"So you think that there are shards in the future in my time, and you want me to retrieve them?"

"Precisely."

Hojo was astounded that he received the job he did, but took it nonetheless. "I accept. Is there anything else?"

"That is enough for now. When you have completed your task, Kagura will find you and bring you to me- I will not be here." Both Hojo and Mikayo thanked the heavens for that. "Mikayo, Kagura is currently seeking the location for you, and will be back." He then directed his conversation to both of them. "If you want our mission to succeed, you must speak of this to no one." At that, Naraku fell silent. Hojo turned to leave, and, noticing no one stopping him, walked quickly out of the cave. Questions rang in his mind, such as "How am I going to find mere jewel shards in the vast future?" But one question persisted above all others, even as he traveled back to his time, and that was, how Inuyasha and Kagome met in the first place. By the time school started the next day, Hojo started to doubt that the Hachimangu well was the only portal between his world and the past.

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"I'm ba-ack!" A few days later, Kagome came back to the feudal era to continue on the journey towards defeating Naraku.

"Kagome!" squealed Shippou, and the fox kit leaped into her arms. Kagome smiled and rumpled his hair. "Did you get me anything good?"

"Here, I brought you some chocolate this time." She gave him the candy, and tiny fists snatched it away greedily. "Where's everybody else?"

"Sango, Miroku, and Kirara are all with Lady Kaede right now. I decided to come by since you were coming back today, and so I sat and waited. As for Inuyasha, well, he's up a tree somewhere."

Kagome groaned inwardly. That meant he was still upset with the encounter with Hojo. "Listen, Shippou, you go tell the others I'm back, and I'll go convince Inuyasha to hop down and get over himself."

"Okay." Shippou jumped out of Kagome's arms, not in the mood to listen to Kagome and Inuyasha squabble.

She found him in a particularly nice tree with branches spreading out over the river. As she approached, he muttered, "You're late."

Kagome sighed, all ready feeling her patience wearing thin. "And how, may I ask, can you tell when you can't even tell time?"

"You said you'd be back in exactly four days, when the sun was in the east. It's four days later, but the sun is in the west. What were you doing, hanging out with your boyfriend?"

That made her snap. "Oh, excuse me, but I don't exactly recall telling him yes, oh please take me to the movies!"

"And I don't remember you telling him no!"

"That's because I didn't have a chance to, since a certain control-freak butted in!"

"I had your lunch! I wasn't going to wait all day for your slow mind to create an answer!" Instantly Inuyasha regretted his words, for he knew he went to far. He was assured of this fact when Kagome spat out our favorite three-letter word, and his branch was stationed over the river.

"Humph." Kagome turned her back, and walked over to the rest of the gang who came when they heard the argument. "Let's go and let Inuyasha enjoy his swim."

Sango's face broke out into a happy smile. "We're glad to have you back, Kagome," Sango told her friend, and she really meant it. The past few days have been absolutely horrible for her, only because it was obvious that whatever dream that Miroku had was still disturbing him. She tried once to discuss it with him, but he waved it off, and refused to mention it. Add to that a sulking Inuyasha, and her life was downright miserable lately. Between the warm greeting she got from her friends, and seeing the thoroughly-soaked hanyou scramble up the river bank toward them, Kagome felt better.

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"Ye be careful now on ye journey!" Lady Kaede's farewell rang in their ears as the group set out on their journey. The day was stressful and uncomfortable, due to Inuyasha and Kagome not talking to one another, as well as Miroku's continuing melancholy. Sango and Shippou filled Kagome in on the mysterious nightmare Miroku appeared to have had, and try as she might, Miroku refused to discuss it with Kagome as well. Needless to say, everyone was quite happy to stop early, though it meant sleeping in the woods.

As everyone got settled, Inuyasha's ears twitched, and he sniffed the air. "There's a human approaching," he told the others. A few seconds later, a girl wearing monk apparel came toward the group.

"I can't believe I found you," she whispered. _'I hope that my extended bath washed Naraku's scent of f of me, or this could get ugly.'_

Inuyasha stepped forward. "Who are you, and what do you want?" he demanded, pulling out Tetsusaiga.

Mikayo glanced at him, nonplussed. "Well, aren't you a rude one, but then, Inuyasha, you were never known to have manners." This stunned Inuyasha somewhat, as well as the others.

"You know Inuyasha?" Kagome asked, for want of a better question.

"I certainly do, Kagome, as well as each of you here. I've wanted to talk to everyone, but. . ." Her blue eyes, the exact same shade as Miroku's, trained onto the said monk, and she ran up to him, wrapping her arms around him. ". . . I've wanted to meet you for so long, Miroku."

Miroku smiled, and returned the hug. "I am most flattered, and it is a pleasure to meet your acquaintance." Sango, Kagome noticed, was glaring at Miroku and the newcomer.

"You don't even know who she is yet!" Sango said, her voice a little more frigid than normal.

Mikayo ignored the icy tones in Sango's voice, but let go of Miroku. "I guess you really don't remember me, do you, Miroku." This statement baffled the group even further, and Miroku stared at her dumbfounded; for once in his life, he was unable to recognize a person of the opposite sex.

Inuyasha was growing impatient, and though he put the Tetsusaiga away, his tones were still less than friendly. "Enough with the guessing game, just tell us who you are!"

Mikayo herself became on edge; it was always hard to break the ice. She took a deep breath. "You may not believe me, but I speak the truth." Her voice then tumbled to a very low pitch. "My name is Mikayo, and I am Miroku's cousin.

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Finally, a cliffhanger! I've been wanting to drench my story with them (because who doesn't love a great suspense story?), but it's been hard putting them in this story. This isn't even a good cliffhanger, really, but it'll do for now.

This chapter and Chapter five are two of the most important chapters in this story, and yet I see them as being the most controversial. Whenever you delve into a character's history, you usually hit controversy, especially in my case, because I making it up, the character in question is obviously Miroku. I did as much research as I can on the web, but found very little pertaining to his childhood. Therefore, to the best of my knowledge, everything I mention in this story is entirely possible to occur in the series. If, though, you have evidence that will prove me wrong, or something, then please let me know.

**Thank you to:**

Fiona McKinnon for putting The Power at Hand on her story alert list.

Fiona McKinnon, cheriberigurl, and Melinda-chan for reviewing

See you next time!

SereneDolphin


	5. A Possible Solution

Well, well, well. It's been a while, hasn't it? No excuses from me, I know I was putting this off, but you see, this was one of the hardest chapters to write. If you read the last chapter, you might see what I mean.

Responses to my lovely reviewers:

**Fiona McKinnon:** Oh. Okay. Thanks, I've never seen PAMS before. Now I know. Sorry to keep you waiting, here's the next installment!

**Cheriberigurl:** You'll see. It really doesn't change things that much, but . . . you'll see!

**Melinda-chan:** You know, I never really thought about it, but I tend to use clichés a lot. Not meaning to, but they just crop up. I really hope not to disappoint you, you are my favorite reviewer as of right now, and I enjoy your feedback. I understand, though, if you don't want to continue. Also, something to think about. Are you sure that she is Miroku's cousin? Anyway, I'll continue reading To Be Human: Prelude, though not today, I got a lot of homework. I hope you like this chapter!

This chapter is either going to go really well, or not, so I'm crossing my fingers, and hope you enjoy it

DISCLAIMER: Don't own Inuyasha.

**Chapter 5: A Possible Solution**

Hojo was all ready second-guessing himself by the time he reached his apartment in Tokyo. _'Does this make me a murderer?'_ he pondered. _'Am I . . . evil?'_ At the moment, that day, he had no doubt. He loved Kagome with a passion that no one knew about, a passion that surprised even him. So when this guy, Inuyasha, came to claim her, a hot rage burned inside, suppressed only by sheer disappointment. Kagome didn't even stand up for herself, and that thought made him even angrier. Yes, there was no doubt that at that moment, he wanted to kill Inuyasha, although he didn't notice it.

However, as time grows farther from the moment, the feelings attached to the moment diminish. Hojo was certain that he would not kill Inuyasha. It was all so strange. _'Even though he hurt Kagome and is a demon . . . actually only half-demon . . . the desire to kill him is gone. What kind of guy am I?'_ So lost in his thoughts was he that Hojo never realized hi mother greeting him. "Hojo! I was hoping you'd come earlier; it's awfully late. Out playing soccer . . . ?" She paused on making domburi. "Hojo?" He finally turned around.

"Oh. Hello, mama," he replied half-heartedly.

"Something bothering you?"

Hojo mentally slapped himself. Now he was getting his mom all worried. He hastily wiped the melancholy from his face and gave his usual smile, though it was tinted with worry. "Nothing really. You know, just some girl trouble."

"My son, the popular, handsome soccer star, with girl trouble? When he can have his pick of any in the school; or, I'm willing to bet, all of Tokyo?" Hojo inwardly grinned. His mother had a streak of pride, unrivaled by any woman in Japan.

"That helps a whole lot when the only one you want is the one that's not available."

Tanaka Kaoru shook her head. "Oh Hojo, just turn on that charm of yours, and she'll come around. In the meantime, have some dinner; the oyakodon looks great, don't you think?"

"Yes, mama." A rush of nostalgia filled his being; oyakodon was his favorite meal as a child, but she rarely made it. It felt just as it did back then, and as the meal continued, he didn't want the feeling to go. Hojo made the mistake of looking down. There, glowing a shiny purple, was a jabbing reminder in his pants pocket that sent him back to the present. He frowned. It was as if he couldn't escape it even for one moment so that he could enjoy dinner with his mother.

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"Fine. My name is Mikayo. I am Miroku's cousin." Mikayo had to admit, it was quite amusing watching five different facial expressions all turn simultaneously into the same expression- one of immense shock. If it hadn't of been for the seriousness of the situation, she would have laughed out loud.

"Bah! Impossible!" Inuyasha was the first to voice his opinion.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome reprimanded. She didn't believe the girl, but, as usual, she wanted to be polite, and that included making Inuyasha be polite as well. Plus, it gave her an excuse to yell at him.

"What, wench? It is impossible! If they are related, then they would have a similar smell, but they don't smell the same at all!" Kagome noticed that Mikayo tensed up at the mention of smell.

Shippou spoke for the first time that night. "Inuyasha's got a point. I mean, it's definitely obvious that he and Sesshoumaru are brothers with just one whiff."

Inuyasha rounded on Shippou. "How dare you say I reek like that arrogant bastard!" he shouted, bopping the kitsune on the head.

Kagome groaned. "Oh, this is getting out of hand. Sit!" Inuyasha got a face full of trunk while Shippou smirked gleefully.

Mikayo directed her attention back on Miroku. "I am sorry, Mikayo-sama, but I don't see how it is possible. My father has never mentioned any relatives."

"Yes, and there is also the fact," interjected Sango, "that you are not inflicted with the curse. Your right hand is whole." It was true- Mikayo wore no covering over her hand.

"Well, then I would suggest we all sit around the fire while I explain," the female monk said, and they all complied except for Inuyasha. His senses were extremely alert, and he was particularly edgy. It was like his instincts were detecting danger, but from where (or what) he wasn't sure.

She began. "Our grandfather, Miatsu, was a great monk, and nearly every village has heard of his exploits to defeat the demon Naraku. Those who were close to your family and your village, Miroku, heard about how Naraku cursed your family with the black hole, an Air Rip that threatens your life with every passing day. A never-ending vacuum, in which it becomes a race against time to produce a descendent, lest you family line becomes extinct forever. So careful track was made of Miatsu's descendents. He had one son, your father, and your father had you. They believed that was all, but they were wrong." Complete silence ensued, save, for the crackling of the fire, and the chirpings of the night bugs. Mikayo took a breath to form her words and gather her thoughts,' her true tale begins now, and the most important conversation she ever had was about to take place.

"There are many things that is not known about Grandfather; many only know about him form the dealings with Naraku and afterwards. I understand that he was a traveling monk like you, Miroku?"

"Yes, and I took after him, as well as my father."

Mikayo showed a hint of a smile. "And I do believe that there's a particularly undesirable trait you inherited from Miatsu, isn't there?"

"Oh, if you're talking about lechery, that's the one." Shippou stated, rooting through Kagome's bag until he found a lollipop. "Girl don't like it too much, especially Sango. When she slaps him, his face goes red for days-"

"Now now Shippou, let's not bore our guest with unnecessary tale," Miroku quickly said, stuffing the lollipop in his mouth to quiet the kitsune.

"Just as I thought." Mikayo nodded. "Though it wasn't as prominent as his post-Naraku days, Grandfather enjoyed the company of beautiful women. One day, on the full moon before his rendezvous with Naraku, he visited my grandmother's village. Apparently they got on together quite well, but Miatsu was not ready for any commitment, and his duties called him away. Then came Naraku, and so he thought he had to produce a descendent, and so on. There was no way that he could have known that he had a daughter, Seiko, my mother."

"You don't say," Miroku quietly said, totally engrossed with the story.

"Yes. Shortly after Haha-gimi was born, baa-san moved to your village. They decided, after hearing about Naraku, that they would not reveal who they were. Grandfather did not recognize baa-san, and so your father and my mother grew up together, and became friends, though your father didn't know that they were siblings. Seiko gained much knowledge on the training of monks from this close relationship. I cannot tell you how much his death has affected her."

"Haha-gimi married at a young age to Hiroshi, my father, a monk who specialized in healing, but could slay many a demon as well. He did not travel much, but happened to be on a journey at the time. He stayed in your village shortly, and met your father and mother. My parents left before you were born though."

"Now that you mention it, I do recall my father telling my mother about a childhood friend called Seiko," Miroku mentioned, thinking.

"It's unfortunate that you never met him. Chichi-gimi took my mother to Tanashi, his village. I was born there, but. . ." Mikayo's voice broke, but she regained it. "She died giving birth to me. Chichi-gimi didn't want his line of monks to decease, so he trained and taught me all he knew in hopes that I will carry on the family knowledge. That is how I became a monk, and I travel around offering my services to those who need it. And that is it."

Kagome sat thoughtfully. "So you took on the family job to fulfill your father's wishes. That's so cool. What do you think, Miroku?"

Miroku was currently entranced. "What, Kagome?"

"Well, idiot," spoke Inuyasha, "is she lying or not?"

"I do think that she's telling the truth."

Sango bursted at that moment. "Wait a minute, Miroku! How can you be so sure? There are still questions she hasn't answered, loopholes in her story. For example," Sango turned to the female monk, tone less than friendly, "Why don't you have the Air Rip?"

"By, simply, a combination of factors. One, Miatsu did not know that I or Haha-gimi existed. Two, Haha-gimi was originally conceived before the curse took place. Three, Grandfather and baa-san were not married and officially unified. Finally, Haha-gimi and I are female. Descendents and family lines are traced through males. Because of all of these things, I was not cursed, especially since I'm considered of my father's line. Does that satisfy you, Sango?"

Sango did not reply, but gazed stonily into the fire, obviously upset.

"Mikayo-sama-"

"Just Mikayo; we're cousins."

Miroku grinned. "My apologies then. I have a couple of questions, though. Where is your father?"

At the mention of this, her eyes grew hard with hatred, and pain flashed across her face. "He was killed by. . . by a demon." She pointedly looked away from Inuyasha while she said this, something that Sango noticed.

"I am sorry to hear that."

"We do know what it's like to lose a father, don't we, Shippou?" Kagome asked quietly.

"Thank you for your concern."

"So why're you here?" Inuyasha's sudden question startled the group. Mikayo couldn't help but smile. _'If only they knew that Naraku asked me essentially the same thing. . . wonder how they'll take it, knowing they had something in common. . .'_

"Yes, that was going to be my next question," Miroku piped up. "I'm glad that you are telling me all this, but why now?"

"I came to ask you a question, assuming that you wish to defeat Naraku. Just recently, I've discovered- or at least, believe I discovered- a way to defeat Naraku."

She got the reaction she wished. All heads popped up in anticipation. "I want to know, Miroku, if you would like to go on a journey with me."

"How can Naraku be defeated?" Inuyasha growled, wanting to know very badly.

"Chichi-gimi, and your father, Miroku, were experimenting with spells during their time together. They looked through ancient scrolls, trying all sorts, some more practical than others. One they saw, I forgot its name, was able to take a demon made up of many different demons, and separate them into weaker, individual demons. You may see where this applies to Naraku."

"Oh!" exclaimed Kagome. "If Miroku used that spell, Naraku would be transformed into individual demons, and we can destroy each weaker piece."

"Exactly," said Mikayo. "However, there are difficulties."

"Such as. . ."

"It's very powerful. My father tried to do it alone when he was traveling on a demon that happened to be made up of pieces of other demons. Alone he could not control the power, but with the help of your father, Miroku, they sealed the spell away in the enchanted box of Arakan. They were to have hid the box of Arakan away, but from a few tips from the elders in my travels, I think I've found it."

"So you want us to go on a wild goose chase on a mere theory?" Inuyasha was getting impatient again. Something told him it was not a good idea.

"It's more than that, isn't it?" Kagome asked.

"He's partly right. I could be wrong. But in my heart, I believe I'm right, and I need your help, Miroku, plus everyone else can come too, as well." She tried to summon her most convincing voice.

"Please, Miroku, will you make this journey with me?"

**dddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd**

I hope beyond hope that this explanation will satisfy you readers. However

I HAVE MADE A MAJOR MISTAKE IN THE OVERALL PLOT LINE SO FAR.

And I wonder if anybody will notice it. Think about what was said in this chapter plus in one of the earlier chapters, and let's see if you can find it.

But if you can't, then I'm not going to tell you. Even though it's a major mistake, it is possible that it has gone unnoticed, and the story won't be ruined because of it.

Also, what side do you think Mikayo is on? Just wondering.

THANKS TO:

Fiona McKinnon, cheriberigurl, and Melinda-chan for reviewing.

Don't forget to review! I KNOW YOU ARE READING THIS STORY! Please let me know if you like it! Constructive criticism is welcome, outright flames are not.

See you next time,

SereneDolphin


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